Paintings in Hospitals

Q. What is it

A. A charity organisation which lends art to NHS hospitals to try to soften the institutional blow of the environment.

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Q. Do they charge for the service

A. Pictures are issued on loan for a period of one, two or three years at a rate of �22.50-�27.50 per item per year and borrowers can exchange their selection at any time for new works at no extra cost.

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Q. How did the organisation come about

A. Despite having been around for over 40 years, it is surprising how little known the charity is. Founded in 1959 by a Mr Sheridan Russell, the then almoner at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery London, Paintings in Hospitals started out as a small collection of paintings borrowed from his artist friends as a means of improving the hospital for the benefit of the patients, staff and visitors.

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Q. What kind of art does PiH have in its collection

A. PiH holds over 3,000 original works of art - no reproductions - available on loan to hospitals, hospices and health centres throughout the UK and Ireland, and over 300 hospitals currently have PiH works on display. But it's not just paintings. The collection includes prints, drawings, textile, mixed media and photographic works.

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Q. How are the works chosen

A. PiH state that: 'Works are purchased on a number of criteria but primarily for the quality of the work and suitability for display in a healthcare setting. Regrettably this means that we are unable to purchase work from many talented young artists who are increasing turning to video and installation pieces as a means of expression. We are constantly on the look out for artists whose work will bring something new to the collection and, in years to come, will reflect something of the period in which they were purchased.'

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Q. Where is PiH based

A. The Sheridan Russell Gallery, 16 Crawford Street, London W1.

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Q. But it's a national institution

A. PiH has regional centres in York, Leicester, Aberystwyth and Belfast. Scotland has its own organisation based in Edinburgh, PiH Scotland, which was founded in 1991by Matilda Mitchell, who had previously been associated with the London charity.

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Q. So, why is PiH in the news at the moment

A. Because, in an unprecedented act of philanthropy, the art mogul Charles Saatchi is giving PiH some of his artworks.

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Q. What Dead sheep and elephant poo

A. Not exactly, though works by Damien Hirst - such as Hymn, a 20ft anatomical model, earmarked for the atrium of London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital (the hospital has some reservations about the appropriateness of displaying human innards and a huge, staring eye) - are included in the bequest. Most of the works are less daunting, and include pieces by Daniel Sturgis and Robert Wilson.

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PiH politely turned down 10 works offered by Charles Saatchi, including Carina Weidle's Olympic Chickens, a sequence of decapitations of domestic fowl.

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Saatchi, in an interview about the bequest to the Sunday Times, said that he hoped the art would make hospitals 'a fraction less daunting' and that 'having paintings around creates a friendlier atmosphere, and if the paintings are colourful and fun so much the better'.

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For more on Paintings in Hospitals go to their site at www.paintingsinhospitals.org.uk

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The exhibition of the Saatchi bequest will run at the Saatchi Gallery, 30-40 Underwood Street, London N1 until 24 February 2002

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By Simon Smith